After reading a few Lifehacker posts about the upcoming Windows 7, I finally decided to head over to the Windows 7 download site.
Now all seem fine, I read the details, chose 32-bit, hit go, entered my Windows Live ID, redirected, confirmed my email address via link emailed to me to prove that yes I entered my email. Then I got to the download screen. I hit Download Now.
Nothing.
I tried again, nothing.
Then I decided to go through what I would call “the back door”. I hit Ctrl+U in Firefox which brought up the source code for the page. Now I knew the download came in the form of a burnable .iso. So I looked at what the last piece of typed text appeared before the Download Now Image.
It is the link to http://www.mpegla.com/ .
MPEG LA is a firm which licenses patent pools required for use of the MPEG-2,[1] MPEG-4 Visual (Part 2), IEEE 1394, VC-1, ATSC and AVC/H.264 standards. The firm is also working towards pooled licensing of Blu-Ray intellectual property
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG_LA
Anyway, I found this link in the code, went to next line and it almost hit my in the face. A URL starting http://wb.dlservice.microsoft.com/ so I found the .iso at the end. Voila! That my friends is the link to the .iso file.
So I have the link and I want the file. Going the obvious route seemed a deadend, that Download Now button just wasn’t doing anything.
Terminal line here I come.
I open a terminal using GNOME Do type wget and paste the link to the .iso from the source code into the terminal and hit return. Result!
I can’t get the screenshot to load in a new window. Click to see the original file here
Filed under: Linux, Tech | 5 Comments
Tags: GNOME Do, terminal, wget, Windows7
Is this your inaugural post? No “hello”s? I think you need to update your blogroll too…
I keep meaning to start blogging but I just thought today, “I need to just post something, then catch up later” so yea a “hello” post will be later, which will then melt into the “basics” page – my About Me.
Yea I’ll update the blogroll!
Hi Doug!!
Just to let you know, the link on the microsoft webpage links to a application that has its own download manager, after finding the same problems as you I finally opened up IE and it downloaded straight away using its download manager.
Hope life is treating you well
Craig
So it’s biased to IE? Hmm not exactly preparing for for people wanting to use their new OS but who don’t like the propriety browser.
Cheers for that any Craig! Life is good here thanks. hope you are too!
Man, I wish i had known about that in the first place, would have saved me some hassle!
Good shout!